About Us

As a small family-oriented company with a long history at the cutting edge of the sunglass industry, Sunglass World is unique in so many ways. Started in 1984 by Dr. John Adolf and his wife Pat, Sunglass World has been committed to serving the individual needs of customers in the sun-drenched Southeastern United Sates for well over two decades. In an industry dominated by huge foreign corporations who could care less about the spirit of individual style, Sunglass World has always stood out in every market as a place where customers are valued as people first and clients second.

Because our company started out at a time when the eyewear industry was in its infancy, we have grown organically and at a pace sustainable with our hand-picked markets. As a small company with small-town Southern values, our stores are a reflection of the communities we live in and love. Beginning with a store in Gautier, Mississippi and expanding along the Gulf Coast, we are proud to call Panama City, Mobile, Destin and Biloxi home. An expansion into the collegiate market in Gainesville, Florida led to our growth away from the Gulf Coast area, and now our future plans stretch all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

As knowledgeable partners dedicated to finding styles that reflect the newest and hottest design trends and performance innovations, our employees go to great lengths to pick out only the best from an increasingly cluttered sunglass market. Our managers are all veterans of numerous trade shows and expos where new ideas are discovered and have decades of experience satisfying the individual needs of our customers – many of whom are lifetime patrons and people we are glad to call friends.

Pat and Doc, as the owners are known to all, have been catering to the needs of their clients in each individual market and using their laundry list of industry contacts to find the most exclusive styles that normally don’t find their way outside of the big cities. Our management structure, spearheaded Tony Werden as VP of Sales and Marketing, is made up of very knowledgeable and experienced Store managers, many of whom have been with Sunglass World over 10 years. These managers, along with our extended family of sales associates at each individual store, work hard every day to make sure that the customer always has their sunglass and eyeglass needs met in the fastest and most inexpensive manner.

Our commitment to customer service, a cornerstone of our business culture, is more than just a bunch of words. We are totally dedicated to serving you through a lifetime of optical needs, NOT simply the lifetime of your printed receipt or pair of glasses. Free repairs and adjustments for life on all your glasses – NOT just the ones you purchased from us – is unprecedented in any industry, but it is just something we believe in. Come into one of our stores and find out just how hard we work on your behalf, from special orders from any brand we carry to fully customized glasses for any sport.